Me, Myself, and Magic : Year One
by PrincessWithHalfAHeart
Summary: Stephanie Cradey's life has been anything but ordinary. Eight out of her eleven years of life she can't fully remember. How will she react when she receives her Hogwarts letter and the key to a world she never believed existed? Read and review please! (In-progress...slowly)
1. The Birthday Letter

_Dear Miss Cradey, w__e are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all the _blah blah blah.

That was my first thought when I glanced over the letter.

Who am I exactly? That's a great question because I'm not really sure either. I'm not saying that I woke up this morning and forgot everything about me. No, that's not my issue. Let me just say this though, waking up and forgetting everything, it's awful.

Anyway, the name's Stephanie. As of two weeks ago, I'm an eleven year old living with my two sisters and three aunts. I wish I could give you a grand introduction on my live before now but, I don't remember any of it. For all I know I could have been a test tube baby or grown in some lab. I don't remember anything before, oh about the age of eight. I'm ninety-seven percent sure, however, I was not created by some scientist. The thing that convinces me the most would be my two sisters. Well, my family claims they're my sisters, sometimes I'm not so sure. Despite my questioning state, Alexa and Sage are really my biological sisters.

Alexa, Sage, and I look nearly identical. Okay, that's sort of a lie. Sage and I actually are identical. Born on the same exact day from the same mother nine minutes apart. I was born first, of course. We have the same golden blonde hair that flows down our backs with just a slight curl. We have the same faces, although mines a bit rounder and hers angular. Our eyes are both almond shaped. The two of us both have the same brilliant, light blue eyes. They look exactly like how the sky looks after it snows and the sun is out.

Alexa, on the other hand, is less identical than us. Being born a year later apparently gave us time for our hair to lighten. Alexa has the same length hair, except her's is a deep brown and much curlier. Her eyes are also a chocolate brown colour, much like our aunts. Alexa resembles the Halliwell's while Sage and I the Cradey's. I actually resemble the Cradey's more than Sage. My father had braces when he was little and always wore glasses. So, I too have braces and glasses. Thanks sir for passing me your great genetics.

The three of us also all share the same birthmark. The three of us have a pyramid of three stars on our left thigh. Everyone on my mums side of the family, the Halliwell's, all have similar birthmarks. What's really strange is, depending on how many sisters/siblings you have, that's how many stars are in the pyramid.

My sisters and I live with our aunts (our mum's sisters) Piper, Prue, and Phoebe and we have for as long as I can remember...which isn't saying much really. The six of us live in the Halliwell/Cradey manor that the 'sisters' grew up in. I guess the torch had been passed and it was our turn to live and grow there.

This was our newest living arrangement. Before my sisters, Prue, Piper, and I had lived in a small, three roomed flat in Sutton, while Phoebe was living in New York (doing God only knows what). Once our Grams got sick and was hospitalized the five of us moved into the Manor to help take care of her. Well, she wasn't technically our Grams, she was our mum's grams, making her our Great Grams; we all always called her Grams though. A year ago, however, she passed away and shortly after Phoebe moved back home.

I never cared much for Grams. While my genetics were fairly similar to Sage and Alexa's, this was one area where we differed. Those two loved Grams. She had her kind and loving moments, but I thought she was off her rocker half of the time. She always tried to make me sing these weird songs or make me drink these terrible concoctions. She claimed she was trying to market a new beverage to the masses and I was her 'guinea pig'. I was always the guinea pig, never Sage or Alexa, always me. I had no idea who she would have been marketing these drinks to, but I knew they wouldn't have bought what she was selling. The tasted from rotting cabbage to hairy, gorilla butt. I never told her that though.

As crazy as she was, she still scared the bajeezus out of me. Weird and strange things would always happen when I was around her. Windows would always shatter unexpectedly and objects would go flying across the room. She would always make up excuses like a change in air pressure, or silly neighbor kids throwing rocks, or my favorite, I was just loosing my mind. After a while those instances became just as normal as her wacky singing and terrible cooking.

One instance, however, really freaked me out. When I was nine years old I got the chicken pox (I was the last of my sisters). I stayed home with Grams while my sisters were at school and Prue and Piper at work. Grams fed me an herbal soup and sang some strange song to me. I was use to this kind of behavior, but what I wasn't use to was ending up with purple and blue pox. I took a nap for an hour or so and when I woke up, my pox were red again. I told her what happened and she said it must have been a dream. I nodded, trying to remember what happened first, falling asleep or looking like a child's dinosaur.

I kept my distance from her after that, though. On a few occasions, I gained enough mental courage to swear she was a witch; it was the only explanation that seemed to fit. If you can call it an explanation for sane people, that is. I told my sisters this theory and was surprised to hear them say I was right. My eyes grew wide as a small sense of panic and fear started to creep through me. I shook my head and calmed myself, quickly realizing they must be pulling a prank on me.

"Ha ha, you guys are funny. Trying to pull a fast one over me, aren't you?" I said, laughing slightly.

"No, Stephie, we're really not .Grams really is a witch. So are our aunts, but they don't know it yet," Alexa added with whisper. "I'm one, too, and Sage, and you." Alexa said seriously.

"Oh, c'mon, Lexi, don't be silly. There's no such thing as witches and magic, I was just being dumb. Besides, if we really were witches, you expect me to believe that our aunts wouldn't know their 'magic'," I said jokingly.

"Yes, she's not joking, Stephie. We really are witches. We all are. We used to do magic all the time with mum and dad when we were younger," Sage started.

"She's right. Only you and Sage forgot. You never took us seriously before when we tried to tell you. Sage finally accepted the fact. You were always too stubborn to listen, but now you know!" Alexa explained happily.

"Guys, stop it! I was just making that up about Grams. Witches are old and ugly and don't exist!" I said, starting to get frustrated.

"C'mon, Stephie. Didn't you ever watch _The Wizard of Oz_? Of course you did, because you loved that weird sequel. Glinda was a good witch and she was beautiful," Alexa counted.

"Alexa, stop it. Stop being so ridiculous. I thought it was all a joke at first but you guys are taking it too far. It's not funny anymore. There are no such things as witches, and comparing it to a fictional movie will not make me believe you guys are telling the truth. Stop being mean to me. I'm not the weak and frail girl I was a year ago...or at least I think I was. I'm not falling for anymore of your tricks," I nearly shouted. I stormed out and hid in my room until supper. I personally seemed to feel more separated from my sisters, but they both acted like nothing happened. Like I hadn't called them crazy.

I don't believe in nonsense. That whole conversation with my sisters, nonsense. This letter, nonsense. There's no magical wizarding school and there's no way I've been accepted to it. I'm not saying I don't believe in magic; David Blaine, for instance. He does some insane stunts. He and others like him may very well have some 'mystical powers'. I don't believe, however, that any old Joe has magical powers, and there are certainly not enough to fill a school.

All this talk of nonsense started on my eleventh birthday, when I first got that letter. Our aunts had planned a pool party for Sage and I. The day of our party, however, a huge storm rolled in. Typical English weather, right? Thankfully we had planned ahead for faulty weather and rented out an indoor pool for the day. Alexa was allowed to invite a couple friends, since it wasn't her day. Since it was our day, Sage and I were allowed to invite as many people as we bloody wanted.

Sage took the suggestion to heart, inviting nearly everyone in our elementary class. Any one she was friendly with she invited. Many of them showed up for our company, some only for free cake and a free swim. A few people, however, didn't show at all. You see, Sage can be a bit overly sarcastic. Both of us can, actually, but my filter between my brain and mouth works a little better. Sage's filter hasn't worked a day in her life. Most people just know that's how she is and move on. Some people, like the few who didn't show, think she comes off as mean and abrasive.

I invited only one person to the party, my best friend Samantha. The two of us met a year or so ago at school and had been inseparable since. My aunts always seemed to be upset that I didn't have more friends. That's why they rented out the whole pool and told us we could invite whoever we bloody wanted. The offer was more for me. Sammy...Sammy happens to be one of my only friends. It's not like I don't know _any_body else; I'm friendly with a lot of kids and their friendly with me too. I just have problems getting close enough to people to consider them close friends. I dunno, I guess that's just me. I feel like...whenever I'm around people I don't know too well their judging me and can somehow read my every thought and fear, but not with magic though. I guess I'm afraid they'll misjudge me and think I'm a freak.

But whatever. I make do with the life I have and it's good enough for me. Shouldn't that be enough?

Back to my birthday and the party. The party itself went along swimmingly...no pun intended. Sammy and I stuck together throughout the party mostly. On a few occasions she got a few people together for a game of water volleyball or water gun fight. She knew I was sort of detached from the other kids, so every now and then she would try to instigate stuff like this so I might make other friends.

After the party ended and all the guest left, my family, Sammy, and I headed back to our house for the night and a birthday dinner. Sammy was going to stay the night with me tonight, then I was going to go to her house for the weekend. Once we were home, we popped in a movie as Alexa, Sage, Sammy, and I crowded together on the couch. We were still young enough that me and my sisters could still hang out together in the same group.

Just as the beginning trailers ended and the movie was about to start, Phoebe came running into the living room, Piper and Prue flanking her.

"Stephanie, Sage! Look, look, look, I've got the post!" she said waving around two envelopes in the air. I looked over at Sage, slightly confused. We get letters all the time, why was she so excited now? And why were we getting it so late? It was nearly six o'clock in the afternoon, who would send us stuff this late?

Phoebe handed a letter to me and one to Sage. On the back I noticed a seal in red candle wax. I turned it back over, looking for a return address to see who had sent the letter. The odd thing was, there was no return address. The only thing the front did say, in green ink, was:

**Ms. S. Cradey **

**Second Room on the Right, Second Floor**

**1329 Prescott Street **

**Sunningdale**

I looked around the room at the rest of my family, confused and hoping for answers to my unasked questions. Like, who knew _exactly_ where my room was? Who would mail me a letter and call me Ms. Cradey? Ms. S. Cradey even? Who did I know who would address letters in icy green ink with a red seal on the back? What were they, some kind of old royalty? Unfortunately, no one in my family could read my mind so they had no idea what I was thinking. They just smiled at me and encouraged me to open the letter. I shrugged and tore open the envelope, pulling out a piece of parchment as another fell to the floor.

_Dear Miss Cradey,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1st. We await your owl no later than July 31st._

_Yours sincerely,_

Minerva McGonagall

_Deputy Headmistress_

"What is this?" I asked gesturing with the paper.

"It's a letter from your new school. Honey, we hadn't told before now because we weren't sure how you'd handle the news," Piper started.

"Not to mention the fact we didn't even know about any of this until last year," Prue continued.

"Will someone please just tell me what you're talking about?" I asked looking at my aunts confused.

"Stephanie," Prue started, taking my hand, "you're a witch."

I wasn't really sure how to react. My first reaction was that this was a whole joke; I had the hugest urge to burst out laughing, but I somehow contained myself.

"You're joking, right?"

"No, sweetie, we're really not. I know this must be a huge shock to you, but you've got to believe us. You're sisters are witches. Piper, Phoebe, and I are witches, so was your mum. Your dad was a wizard. Our mum and Grams were witches, and many more on the Halliwell side. We come from a very long line of magic, and so do you," Prue explained.

"Right," I said indifferently. "You're pranking me, I'm sure of it. I remember Sage's recent phase where she pranked her rear end off. This has prank written all over it. You've probably gone as far as to set up some trick to freak me out, haven't you?"

"Stephie, this isn't a joke. It's real," Sage said.

"Sure, sure," I said waving her words away. "Go on and show me this 'magic trick' then. You've gone to enough trouble, might as well see what you've come up with. Go on then."

"Stephanie, this really isn't a-"

"C'mon," Alexa started a bit hurried. "Let me take care of this."

She stuck out her right hand, palm up, and clearly said 'wand'. The faint sound of wind chimes filled the air as light blue and white spheres swirled around her open hand. When the spheres disappeared, a thin wooden stick was left in her hand. My eyes widened slightly at this. I figured they would try to convince me by doing some lame card trick or finding a quarter behind my ear; not this. Not- real magic.

No. Magic _isn't_ real. This was just a really good illusion; I mean, a _really_ good illusion. How else could she have made this stick appear in her hand? I tried to think of any possible way that she could have made it look like the stick got in her hand. She hardly moved at all. One second her hand was empty and the next it wasn't.

"Alexa!" Piper started.

"What the heck was that?" I asked, my voice cracking slightly.

"That was nothing, watch this," Alexa said. She raised the stick in her hand and gave it a swish and flick while saying, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

A book that had been lying on the table shifted a bit before it started rising into the air. She moved her hand and the stick, and the book followed, floating in mid air. I took a step back, staring at the book suspended in the air like that's where it's place was.

"See, magic _is _real," Alexa chimed.

"Alexa! Stop that. Now!" Prue chastised. Alexa frowned before lowering the stick and setting the book back on the table where it belonged.

"What? She wasn't believing our verbal attempts to tell her that we're witches, so I took a more practical approach."

"You probably terrified her! You can't just go throwing her into the ocean with this and hoping she'll come up swimming! Do you want her to lose everything again?" Prue continued. I swallowed a few times, hoping to hydrate my throat again, while my head swam. I couldn't bring myself to accept that whatever just unfolded in front of me could have been real and I was apart of it.

Although it seemed there was no way around it. Whatever Alexa had just done...there was no way to prove or disprove it. I hated to say it and hated even more to think it, but what she had done was _magic_. Making that stick appear was nothing compared to this. The book practically _flew_ for goodness sakes. If the book had just levitated off the table shakily, I would have suspected wires were at play. The book seemed to have floated flawlessly though. They would have had to hook up wires, test run the rig multiple times, and practice; there was no way they could have planned this, it was all on the fly. This was just one of those things that no matter how much I didn't want to believe it, no matter how hard I tried to deny it, I couldn't.

This was one of those things that no matter how much I didn't want to believe it, no matter how severely it went against everything I had believed previously, there was no way to deny it. This was real.

"She's going to have to get into the water sometime. What is she going to do, stay home the rest of her life and ignore her heritage from her parents? Live like a muggle while you three try to keep the world safe? You can't keep the magical world away from her forever! You can't just ship her off on a train to some unknown school for ten months for the next seven years. If she got there and still didn't believe us, she'd surely lose it!" Alexa defended.

"Guys, I'm still here!" I said with an edge. "I'm not deaf; I can hear you. Please stop talking about me like I'm not here."

"I'm sorry, sissy, but you've got to believe us. I can't imagine how difficult this must be to take in; I never forgot. You're going to have to believe at some point. Preferably before September 1st," Alexa said, calming down.

"If I happen to believe all this," I started slowly, calming down but my mind still racing, "and I agree to go to this school, why then?"

"That's when we'll board the train that'll take us to Hogwarts. Oh, Stephie, you _have_ to believe us! Hogwarts is so spectacular! The grounds are beautiful and the classes are amazing! You'll be sorted, make all new friends, and-"

"I don't want any new friends. I have Sammy and she's all I need," I cut in.

"Well, yes, but...Sammy won't be able to go with us. She's not like us, she's a muggle. Er- a non magic person," Alexa explained slowly.

"Are you saying that- can we not be friends anymore?"

"No, no, no, not at all. Of course you can still be friends. You can write each other all the time, hang out during summer break, and even Christmas or Easter break if you come back home. She just...can't go to school with us," Alexa continued.

"So you're saying that, for ten months at a time, I can't see my best friend?" I inquired.

"If you put it that way, then yes," Alexa said softly.

"Then I'm not going," I replied plainly.

"You don't have to go, sweetie, but you really should. You don't really want to stay with us here," Piper started. "I know you don't want to leave Samantha, but you'll make new friends-"

"It's not that I don't want to make friends," I cut again. "I don't want to have to start completely over. It took me nearly two years to make and keep a friend. I don't want to go through that again in a completely new world."

"That's the good thing, Stephanie," Phoebe said. "No one there knows anything about you or your past. This is your chance to refine yourself and forget about the past. Besides, friends are like jello; there's always room for more."

"The only thing I've told my friends is that I have two amazing twin sisters who will be here the year after me. I would never tell anyone about what happened to you," Alexa said sincerely.

"Aren't you always the one protesting that you're not frail and weak anymore? That you're stronger than you were? This is your chance to prove it. Jumping into something completely new like this is brave. Not wanting to go sounds pretty weak to me," Sage countered. I clenched my teeth together and looked at her out of the corner of my eyes. You know those times when it's not the fact that the other person is right, but rather that they're using your own words against you to make their argument that makes you mad? That was me right now.

"I'm still not sure if I believe all of this," I said, trying to shift some of the attention to another part of me. "I can have until September 1st, can't I?"

"More or less," Prue started, looking over at her own sisters. "We'll have to go to Diagon Alley at some point and get you two your supplies; you should probably go with us then. Actually, you'll have to let us know before then. We have to mail the school back by July 31st whether you're going or not. The train leaves at exactly 11 o'clock on the first, so you'll have to be packed and ready the night before at least."

I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded. "I'm going up to my room now."

"What about the movie?" Sage asked.

"I'm not really feeling like a movie now," I said as I started up the stairs. I walked up and to my room in silence. I lay down on my head, my mind running. I hadn't noticed Sammy come in and sit on the side of my bed with me.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, speaking for the first time since I had the letter in my hand.

"I dunno," I said while staring up at the ceiling. I flipped over so I was propped up on my elbows, lying on my stomach facing her. "What do you make of all this?"

"You being a witch with magic, I know," she said calmly.

"What? How did you know?"

"One time when I was waiting for you downstairs I saw Sage trying to practice. She didn't have her wand so all she could do was try and make up silly incantations and try to orb stuff. I was just as freaked out as you were. When she explained things to me and at first I didn't believe her. But then when Alexa came home for the summer Sage had her show me stuff she learned. Then I had to believe," Sammy explained.

"What about me going off to this school?"

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine with out you. I know you must be scared, but it'll be okay, I'm sure. Besides, you won't be completely alone; you'll still have Sage and Alexa," Sammy offered. "Besides, I bet you won't feel so left out surrounded by a bunch of weirdos."

"I thought you said you were okay with the magic thing!" I said shocked.

"Oh I am, but I'm still allowed to tease you because you're my best friend," she said with a smile. We chuckled together quietly before getting into bed. As I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, I recounted the day's events. I had woken up this morning thinking I was just going to have a normal birthday, nothing out of the ordinary. I would never in my wildest dreams, or possibly nightmares, imagined getting a letter from a magical school and learning that I'm a part of a world I hadn't believed existed until now.

Maybe going off to this Hogwarts wouldn't be so bad. This could be my one opportunity to shape myself differently. I wasn't exactly miserable at school, I just hated how lonely I felt. Perhaps I would get there and be instantly popular, even though I knew nothing of magic. Maybe no one would have to judge me based on what had happened to me in the past. I could just tell them about my parents, and that would be that. My place wasn't at Madame Pirrie's Primary school, I knew that. Maybe my place wasn't at Hogwarts either. Then again, what if it was?


	2. Road Trip to Diagon Alley

"C'mon, Stephie! We've let you sleep in an extra half an hour!" Piper called up the stairs.

"Five more minutes? Please?" I called back.

"No! You've had enough 'more minutes'. You decided this is what you wanted to do. Phoebe's leaving in ten minutes and you will be in that car with her!" Piper called one last time. I heard the front door open and close, the car start and drive off. I groaned and threw another pillow on top of my head, trying to shield my eyes from the blinding sun.

Three days ago I had told my aunts that I'd go to Hogwarts. It had taken me a month to decide what to do. You know how sometimes if you stop thinking about a problem for awhile, the answer will just pop into your head? That's how I felt about the letter and going to school. If I thought about it for extended periods of time, I'd get raging headaches and have to sleep it off. After just not thinking about for a few weeks it just sort of hit me.

I had been out running errands with Prue and she offered to buy me some new clothes for putting up with her. As we were driving to the store I asked her, "What types of clothes should I get for Hogwarts?"

Prue turned to me suddenly. "What did you say?" she asked.

"I wondered what kinds of clothes I should get to pack for Hogwarts," I replied innocently, not really realizing what I had said.

"What are you saying, that you want to go to Hogwarts?" Prue asked again.

"I...I guess so. Yeah," I said.

"Are you sure? Again, you don't have to if you don't want to."

"Yeah, I'm sure. I hadn't even thought about that in awhile. It just...sort of popped into my head. I guess my subconscious decided for me."

Prue was so excited I guess that I was 'accepting who I was' she told me she'd buy whatever I wanted. We finally came home hours later with practically enough outfits for me to wear for the rest of the year; I also had enough shoes to supply everyone in my class at my primary school. Old primary school, actually.

Since then my sisters had practically locked me in my room for the last three days while they told me all about magic and the wizarding world. My head felt like it was going to explode from everything they had told me. All that I had retained was that we used wands to do our magic and Hogwarts was divided into four Houses: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. I had no preference myself. Alexa was in Ravenclaw, so of course that's where she'd want me to go. Sage, however, said that's where all the nerds go, getting a pillow thump to the head from Alexa.

I pulled myself out of bed, changed out of my jammies, put on my glasses, and headed down to the living room.

"Hey, girlies. Who's ready for a fun day of shopping?" Phoebe sang as she bobbed into the living room.

"Can I get a broom?" Sage asked, sitting up brightly.

"First years aren't allowed brooms," Alexa said, raising her eyebrows playfully.

"Well second years aren't allowed to say anything," she said sarcastically, laying back down.

"You want a broom?" I questioned. I realize that we're witches, but are we really that stereotypical that we fly around at night on brooms?

"For Quidditch," Alexa started. "I can't believe I haven't told you about Quidditch yet! It's this amazing game played on brooms. It's kind of like our football and American soccer only played in the air. There are offensive positions, Chasers, that pass the ball, called a Quaffle, and try to score through three of the opposing team's goals. The goal keeper obviously tries to block the Quaffle, he's just simply called the Keeper. Then there are two people who hit these mad balls called Bludgers at players to knock them off, they're called Beaters. Then the last player, called a Seeker, tries to find this little golden ball with wings called a Snitch. Whichever team catches it earns 150 points and ends the game. If the Snitch hasn't been caught, the game's not over yet."

"I've never seen a game, but it sounds awesome. I'd love to hit balls at people and knock them off their broom," Sage said excitedly. Phoebe, Alexa, and I looked at each other uncertainly, before Alexa said, "You worry me sometimes, Sage."

"So, we all set for that little road trip to London?" Phoebe asked.

"Are we really going to be able to find all we need in London?" I asked curiously. "I highly doubt there's a store that sells 'eye of newt' in between a GAP and Build-A-Bear."

"It's a secret," Alexa chimed. "You'll just have to wait and see."

The four of us piled into Prue's suburban that she loaned Phoebe for the day. I stretched out in the middle seat between my two sisters and slipped into a serene nap. What seemed to feel like minutes, perhaps even mere seconds later, I felt Alexa and Sage jostling me awake.

"We're here!" they sang. I let out a yawn as I stretched my arms and legs out. I fixed my glasses and patted down my messy hair before following my family out of the car. We walked a few blocks before Alexa pointed us into an old pub nestled in a semi run down part of London, known as The Leaky Cauldron. People passing by on the street looked at us like we were crazy. To mortal eyes, the Cauldron appeared to be only a run down pub, condemned to be demolished. In reality, it was a highly known tavern for an assortment of magical creatures.

Inside it was dimly lit and smelled highly of alcohol, smoke, and incense. We weaved through the tables, Alexa leading us to a back store room. She pulled us into a small room almost like a closet. The was a bright red-brick wall in front of us causing the room seem smaller.

"So, Lexi, where do we go from here?" Phoebe asked slightly skeptical as she closed the door behind her.

"Wait and see," she replied with a smile. She pulled out her wand and tapped a few bricks here and there. I looked from her to the wall waiting in anticipation. We began hearing a faint rumbling from the wall which only grew louder.

The bricks she touched quivered and wriggled and slowly started separating. Within seconds, the wall in front of us had disappeared. Instead, a cobbled street wove down in front of us. Alexa smiled at us, our faces filled with amazement. We slowly started down the street behind Alexa, taking in everything before us.

We reached the pillared entrance to a large, snowy white building. Sage and I slowly climbed the steps, Alexa and Phoebe ahead of us. We looked quickly from a small creature outside the building to many more inside.

"Gringotts, the wizard bank. It's run by-" Alexa started.

"Goblins?" I asked a little too loud. Alexa turned around and nodded, apparently having had heard me. The goblin outside bowed shortly to us as we passed inside.

Inside, it seemed almost like a normal bank. Well, except for the goblins. There were long counters on either side with booths with goblins sitting at them. Behind the desk, the goblins were weighing coins, scribbling stuff down, and examining jewels and rocks. The floor, walls, and pillars all looked similar, all made of marble. Alexa pointed us to an empty booth, Phoebe now taking the lead.

"Hello," she said brightly to the goblin behind the desk. "We need to make an exchange and deposit some money into their account." She added, pointing to the three of us.

"How much do you want to exchange? How much of that do you want to deposit?" the goblin asked, signaling to another goblin.

"£500 total. £200 into their vault." Both of the goblins nodded, one of them retreating through one of the many doors that filled the walls.

"Vault number and key?" the goblin left asked. Phoebe turned around slowly, looking at us. Alexa pulled out an old bulky key and handed it to the goblin at the desk.

"2117," Alexa said, stepping back.

"Very well," the goblin replied. Another goblin, I couldn't tell if it was the same one from before or not, walked over and took the key from him. They said something to each other in what I could only guess was Gobbledegook. (The language goblins speak. I'm totally not making this up). He nodded and retreated back into another door. "Just a moment."

I turned around and waited, watching others as they came and went. A lot of them wore robes and cloaks of varying colour and design. A few people wore normal clothing you'd find at Walmart or somewhere like that. They were probably muggles(not magic folk, according to my sisters). Or they could be wizards with a normal fashion taste. Adults, teenagers, kids who looked about my age with their parents, young adults with small children, all of them came and went.

"Look at that cutie," Sage said, pointing to someone by the entrance. I followed her fingers direction and my eyes were first drawn to a large giant.

"Really, Sage?" I asked.

He was seven, maybe eight feet tall. He had dark boots on, brown pants, a gray shirt, and a large brown overcoat with lots of patches on. His large face was hidden behind his wild hair. He had curly black hair and a matching beard. His hair wasn't exactly long, like my sisters or I, but it hung down by his shoulders. He didn't look gross exactly. Just like he was a giant! Like he'd been living in a cave or the woods for quite some time. (Or a cabin. ;) wink wink!)

"Oh, Hagrid. He's a giant. He's the groundskeeper at Hogwarts," Alexa chimed in, waving him over.

"Not him, geniuses. The shorty next to him," Sage said, pointing slightly to the right. We looked over, then down. Oh, there was someone next to him. He was several feet shorter than his giant friend, (pun intended). He had short, messy black hair and round glasses. He looked like he was wearing the giant's clothing. His shirt and jacket hung on his shoulders way too loosely. His pants were tied to his body with a belt, causing the pants to poof out slightly below it. He was gazing at everything inside the building, including the goblins, amazed. Maybe he was in the same position that I was. Probably similar. I don't think anyone would be in the same position that I am.

"Well hullo there, Alexa," Hagrid said as he and the smaller boy came over.

"Hello, Hagrid. What brings you to Diagon Alley today?" Alexa smiled.

"Jus helpin Harry here get his school supplies," Hagrid said, gesturing to the small boy who had just caught up to him.

"Hello," the boy said quietly. I smiled and replied back. It was refreshing to see someone who wasn't as comfortable with this. I'm not saying that I'm glad he was confused and felt alone, like I sort of did. No, I was just glad I wasn't alone.

"Ah, and these two lil' ladies must be your sisters, am I right?" Hagrid said turning to Sage and I.

"Yes. The blonde one's Sage and the other blonde one's Stephanie," she introduced. "They'll be first years this year."

"Harry here, too!" Hargid beamed. "Maybe the three of ya will be in the same house. It was great to see ya, but we really must be going now. See ya when term starts."

"Goodbye," my sisters and I said as Hagrid started off towards the front of the bank.

"Bye," Harry said quickly as he took off behind Hagrid, jogging behind him to catch up.

"He seems nice," Phoebe said.

"There's something about him. I-I can't exactly remember. I swear he looks familiar," Alexa said, trying to concentrate.

"Maybe he has an older brother that you've seen at school," Phoebe suggested.

"No, I think he's an only child. There's just something about him that I can't remember."

"Well, come on, girls," Phoebe said, sticking a brown sack into her purse. We followed her and Alexa outside into the bustling street. Was it always this busy? Maybe I'd been too distracted by, oh I dunno, the crazy brick wall opening this all before me.

"Got your lists?" Phoebe asked, stopping shortly outside Gringotts. Sage and I looked at each other confused and slightly worried.

"I got them," Alexa said, pulling out two pieces of parchment and handing them to Phoebe.

"Alexa, all you need are books," Phoebe said, looking at the shortest list first. She handed it back to her, and stopped when she saw ours. "Oh. Wow. Uniform: three black robes, black hat, dragon hide gloves, and a winter robe. Books: Standard Book of Spells, grade one; A History of Magic; Magical Theory; A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration; One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi; Magical Drafts and Potions; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them; The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection. Other: Wand, obviously. Cauldron, set of glass or crystal phials, telescope set, and brass scales. Students may also bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad. Hey look, Sage. They mention you."

"Really?" Sage asked excitedly.

"Yes, listen. Parents are reminded that first years are ___not allowed their own broomsticks_!" Phoebe said, furrowing her eyebrows at her sarcastically causing the four of us to laugh. "Okay. How about we divide and conquer. Steph, Sage, go get fitted for your robes," she said, pointing to a store that said Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. "We'll go get all of your books."

"What about the rest of it? Are we suppose to get that all too?" Sage asked.

"No. Alexa can go with you to get your wands, then to get cauldrons. I'll get the other stuff for you. Now, hands in!" Phoebe said, bending slightly and putting her hand in. The three of us looked at each other, smiled, and placed out hands on top of hers. "One. Two. Three-"

"Go team, GO!" we all said, raising our hands. We laughed together for a few seconds, several nearby people stopping to look at us.

"Okay," Phoebe started, reaching into the sack in her bag. "Here are a few galleons. We'll meet you outside the store in a few." She handed us some gold coins, her and Alexa retreating off into Flourish and Blotts. Sage and I turned around, and walked into the store Phoebe had pointed out.

"Hogwarts, sweeties?" a plump woman asked as we stepped inside. We looked at each other and nodded together.

"You're not the first. Got a young boy being pinned up right now. You two look about the same size. We'll try you first." She grabbed my wrist and pulled me to a back room. Indeed, there was a boy who looked my age, standing on a stool. His face was pale, his hair was slicked back with probably a million tons of gel, and was the brightest shade of blonde I've ever seen. I wonder if it was natural or came from a bottle?

"Hello," I said, stepping onto the stool next to him.

"Hello. Hogwarts too?" he asked.

"Obviously," I replied sarcastically.

He smirked and continued talking. "My father's next door buying my books and mother's up the street looking at wands. Then I'm going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don't see why first years can't have their own. I think I'll bully father into getting me one and I'll smuggle it in somehow." His voice sounded, slightly bored, yet like he had a certain authority over everyone.

"You sound like my sister," I snorted quietly.

"Oh, so there's another cutie like you," he said, raising his eyebrows at me. I didn't know if I should feel accomplished that a boy I hardly knew liked me, or like a hussy because some boy I hardly knew was hitting on me. Someone else came in and was shown back as well. He stepped on the stool next to me, causing me to look up. The boy was taller than the other boy and I. He had dark brown eyes and red hair. There was something about him that screamed he wasn't a first year.

"Hello." Platinum blonde said. "Hogwarts?"

"Yes. Second year. You two are first years, aren't you?" he said.

"Yes," platinum blonde said, motioning to me and him. "The lady and I were just talking about bro-"

"All done, dear," the witch said, standing up. He hopped off his stool and started strolling out.

"Hope to see you at school," he said with a wink to me before leaving.

"Do you know who he was?" the boy asked.

"Er, no. He was here when I came in," I said a little awkwardly. I don't know how he'd respond to me calling him 'platinum blonde'.

"You're done too, deary. You and your sister," Madam Malkin said returning back to the front.

"It's nice to meet you. Hope to see you at Hogwarts," I said with a smile. He bade me goodbye and I rejoined my sister.

"Did you happen to see those two boys while you were back there?" Sage asked, taking her bag with her own robes. "I wasn't too fond off the ginger, but the blonde guy. Phew. I hope all boys at Hogwarts are as great as him."

"Sage, just stop," I laughed pushing her out of the store. We found Phoebe just outside the shop waiting.

"Where's Alexa?" Sage asked.

"Still looking for some of your books. Why don't you two go down to the Magical Menagerie? You know you two are allowed to take an animal with you," Phoebe said.

"What kind of animal?" I asked, perking up. That was one of the things I'd actually remembered; I've always had a soft spot for animals. Almost every time I saw an animal that had no home and looked rather scrawny, I'd coax them towards me and bring them home. Sometimes my parents would let me keep the animals. Most of the time, however, they didn't. They seemed to have a soft spot for cats; I learned this after a few attempts with different animals. After a while I'd just bring cats home.

"Most kids bring owls, but Alexa already has one that you two can use. You could get a ferret, a rabbit, any kind of small animal. They suggest owls, cats, and toads, but I'm sure you could get by with a small enough animal."

"A cat?" I repeated eagerly.

"Yes, Stephie. A cat. Here's some more galleons, go on and get an animal for both of you. Think of it as a late birthday present. As long as it's not an owl," Phoebe said as she handed us a few more gold coins. The two of us turned down the street to the store Phoebe suggested.

There wasn't much room inside the store. Every inch of wall was hidden by cages. It was smelly and very noisy since all the animals in the cages were squeaking, squawking, jabbering, or hissing.

"Good afternoon, my dears," the lady behind the counter said. Her attention was drawn for a second as she scrammed to catch a bright pink lizard that was squirming around on her counter. She slammed her hands down on the counter, trapping the lizard. She scooped him up in her hand and placed him back into his tank. "Sorry about that. How may I help you?"

"We were hoping to get some pets. Cats, preferably," I said gazing around the store.

"Or some other kind of animal," Sage added.

"Here, let me show you some of our animals more suited to Hogwarts life. I'm assuming you two are Hogwarts bound, am I right?" she asked. The two of us nodded, Sage a bit more eagerly than I. "Wonderful. There are a bunch of cats roaming around or in cages for you to pick from. There's a crate of kittens ready to go in the back if you want."

I gazed around the store at the different cats roaming around. There were cats of nearly every colour. Black, white, brown, yellow, calico, even a few that were light, pink, green, and blue colours. Perhaps I should check out that new litter of kittens. Hopefully they were a bit more er- normal looking. I could only handle one odd thing at a time. Before I got any crazy coloured cats, I had to adapt to Hogwarts and the world around it.

Behind the counter I found a basket with a few blankets packed inside it. On top of the blankets was a mama cat and seven tiny kittens cuddled up around her. Phew, these were natural looking cats. A small smile spread across my face as I gazed at the cute little fuzz balls, repressing the urge to 'aw' uncontrollably. There were three kittens as black as the night sky and two which were pure white. There was another kitten that was mostly black except for white on his chest and his paws, but it was the last kitten that caught my eye. He was a perfect mixture of the two colours and at least a size larger than the others. I reached into the basket and picked him up. He meowed quietly at being disturbed and looked up at me with his shining green eyes. We looked at each other for a second before he curled back up in my arms and was quickly back off to sleep.

"Adorable, isn't he," the lady said as she approached me. "Most people often find the runt of the litter the most adorable. He certainly is far from the runt, if you ask me. Maybe with him gone the others will be able to feed." She chuckled to herself, perhaps remembering certain instances with this kitten, as she returned to her work.

"Oh my goodness!" Sage gasped hurrying over to the basket. "Look at her, she's perfect." She reached her hands into the basket and pulled out one of the pure white kittens. She was extremely furry, even for a kitten, and clear blue eyes that were almost translucent.

"I thought you said you didn't want a cat?"

"Correction, I wasn't dead set on a cat like you were. Nothing she has in stock really jumped out at me. Well, some actually did. Literally," she said, rubbing her finger. "That stupid lizard she caught earlier escaped and bit my finger."

We paid the witch and left the store. She even decided to throw in two collars of our choice, a few things of kitten food, and a toy or two, for a reduced price of course. We met up with Phoebe and Alexa down the street, and were surprised to see them empty handed.

"Uhm- where are our books?" I asked, slightly confused.

"I orbed them back to the house!" Alexa said excitedly. "Well, I think they ended up at the house anyway."

"You...what?" I asked still confused.

"Oh Stephanie, we have so much more to tell you about," Phoebe laughed. "Aw, I see you both got cats! What are their names?"

"Oh, well I hadn't really had much time to think about it yet," I said, looking at my cat with great intent hoping his name would be hidden somewhere in his fur.

"I was thinking Atta," Sage said as she rubbed her cats head. "Or maybe Dot, or Gypsy, or Rosie-"

"Are you just naming the girl characters from _A __Bug's Life_?" I asked.

"Maybe," Sage shrugged. Knowing my sister, she was. _A Bug's Life _had become one of her favorite movies since it came out. She had dragged us to the theatre multiple times to see it and made our aunts buy it the instant it came out to VHS. They'd already bought two replacement tapes because she watched the heck out of it.

"I like Dot," Phoebe smiled. "What about your kitten, Stephie?"

"Are you sure that's a kitten?" Alexa asked playfully. "It looks like a baby cow."

"What about Jersey? You know, like 'New Jersey cows'? It fits, doesn't it?" Phoebe suggested. He rolled over so he was lying on his back in my arms like a baby, his paws sticking up in the air.

"I think he likes it," I laughed. "Don't you, little Jersey?"


	3. A New Adventure Begins

_Ollivander's: Maker of Fine Wands Since 382 B.C_, a sign said in faded, peeling gold letters. We made our way slowly into the old shop below the sign.

"It's in better condition than you'd think, considering he's been in business for…2000 plus years," Alexa said, holding the door open to let us in. I looked at my sisters skeptically, but continued inside none the less. A bell tinkled somewhere in the depths of the shop as we stepped inside. The entire place looked as though it needed a good dusting. The inside of the shop was dimly lit, two single lanterns on each wall. The windows were dark and grimy. The little light they let in, only showed off how much dust was really in here.

"It's…erm…lovely in here," Sage said coughing.

"Good afternoon. I'm Mr. Ollivander. Just Ollivander's fine too," a soft, old voice said. An old man was standing before us, behind the counter. His wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop. Sage jumped back, recoiling a bit.

"Ah, Miss Cradey," he said, gesturing to Alexa. "So good to see you again. Lignum Vitae, Essence of Dragon's Whisker, thirteen inches, if I'm not mistaken." Alexa smiled and nodded. "Miss Cradey and Miss Cradey." This time he gestured to Sage and I.

I stared, wondering how he knew that we were sisters and Alexa's sisters.

"You have the same eyes. Same face," he said. "Now come, come. Let us find you two wands. Which is your wand arm?" Sage and I looked at each other, confused. I opened my mouth to ask what he meant when Alexa answered.

"Ah, right," She looked at us and smiled that kind of sisterly, loving, goofy, 'you make me laugh', smile. Sage held up her right arm first as he pulled out a tape measure and began measuring. Shoulder to finger; Wrist to elbow; Shoulder to floor; Knee to armpit, and around her head. He started muttering to himself as he crossed and began taking my measurements.

"Hmm…you two seem to have about the same measurements." Sage looked over at me and smiled sarcastically. Now where had we heard that before? Ollivander retreated back into the depths of the store returning shortly with a couple rectangle boxes in each hand. He set them down and opened one handing the wand to me. He opened another and handed it to Sage. I grasped it awkwardly in my hand feeling only cool wood.

"Well don't just stand there, sillies. Give 'em a wave." I waved my arm feeling foolish, expecting nothing to happen. I was wrong. A bolt of what I could only guess was lightning shot from the tip of the wand and headed straight for Ollivander. He ducked quickly, the bolt striking the wall behind him. I jumped back, taken aback. That wasn't the first magic I had seen today (or ever), but it was the first I had done. It may have gone awry, but it was magic none the less. I set it back down on the counter and stepped away quickly.

"I'm not so sure I wanna try this now," Sage said, gingerly holding the wand.

"It's alright, it's alright," Ollivander coughed standing back up. "It's all necessary. As long as we can find the wand just right for you. That obviously was not it. Now, my dear, you try." Sage eyed the wand wearily and looked at me and Alexa nervously. Alexa nodded, ushering her on. She flicked the wand, blowing up a flowerpot setting on table. It wasn't a loud, epic, Michael Bay explosion. The pot itself shattered, the dirt spreading out over the broken pot leaving the flower lying limp and charred on the dirt.

"It's alright m'dear, it's alright. Perhaps, another wand for you both," Ollivander said with a calm smile. Sage set the wand down nervously as he handed us both another. He gestured to me to carry on. I gripped the wand tight, afraid of what would happen now if this wasn't my wand. I flicked it, causing one of the lanterns to shatter, the flame going out. I sighed and dropped my arm.

"I'm guessing that _wasn't_ my wand," I said, placing it back on the counter. At least I hadn't gone all Zeus on him and shot lightning at anyone.

"No," Ollivander started, "but that wasn't as drastic. We're getting closer. Now you, m'dear." He gestured to Sage again stepping back slightly. She flicked the wand cautiously, expecting something terrible. Instead, the lantern I had shattered repaired itself and the flame sparkled back to life. I opened my mouth in amazement, Sage following my lead. I looked over, Alexa and Ollivander only smiling. Oh right, this isn't either of their first experiences with magic. Alexa having already been at Hogwarts for a year and Ollivander…well who knew how bloody old he was.

"Excellent, excellent. I do believe this is the wand for you," he said, taking it from her to examine it. "Yes. Willow, Essence of Unicorn Mane Hair. Twelve inches. Nice, nice, very nice." Ollivander opened his mouth looking at Sage, as if to say something else, but changed his mind and closed it quickly. He placed the wand in a box lined with dark purple velvet. He wrapped up the box and placed it aside.

"Now, m'dear. I have a good feeling about this one," he said, handing me a third wand. I sighed inwardly, hoping he was right. I hate to admit it, but I was a tad bit jealous that Sage had _her_ wand already. I lifted my arm, waving the wand a third time. This time, some well…magical happened ;). The pot Sage had recently shattered repaired itself, the dirt gathering back inside it. The single charred flower disappeared into the dirt, a small green stem started sprouting in its place. Tons of small flowers started sprouting off from the stem, until it was overloaded with small flowers.

"Beautiful. Well done!" Ollivander said happily, clapping his hands together. He took my wand and examined it as well. "Exquisite. Rosewood. Essence of Unicorn Mane Hair. Twelve inches. Wonderful. Now, if you will, I'll get you checked out and you can go on your merry way." He smiled at us, placing my wand in a similar box and wrapping it up too. We met Phoebe shortly after we had all of our things and drove back home.

~xx~

I didn't know Sage was so excited to go to Hogwarts. Well until she woke up at five am on September 1st. Once she had woken me up she wouldn't let me go back to sleep. She came practically running into my room early that morning, and just kept babbling on and on about what her and Alexa had talked about last year that they hadn't told me. So while she sat on my bed talking non stop I sat behind her and braided her hair. When Piper came to wake us up, she was shocked to find that we had been up for hours already.

Once 10 o'clock rolled around my sisters and I were seated in the back seat of the car. We had to take Piper's catering van so we could fit our trunks and animal cages. Alexa's barn owl, Soren, Dot, and Jersey were all safe and sound in their cages.

Within an hour, the three of us were wheeling carts with our trunks into the station, Piper following behind us. We let Alexa take the lead since she was the only one who'd ever gotten to the Hogwarts Express before. Around us I could see other kids I guessed were about to head off to Hogwarts. They too were wheeling around carts with trunks and caged animals. Some of them wore normal clothes (well for muggles) like my sisters and I, while others wore eccentric robes. A group that stood out most to me as a family of gingers. Four boys, one about my age, a younger daughter, and a mother in the front. They moved further into the crowd ahead until their red hair were only specs.

"What platform is it from again?" I asked Alexa, looking around at the trains.

"9 ¾," Alexa and Sage respond. I blinked a few times wondering if I'd heard them right. I understand this is a wizard school but…come on. Platform 9 and _¾?_ Couldn't they have enchanted an abandoned part of the station like they do the Leaky Cauldron. Where the heck are we suppose to find Platform 9 ¾? What were we gonna do, run into a wall and hope we got through?

I looked at Platforms nine and ten on either side of us and spotted a flash of brown in front of me. I focused on it and realized it was Alexa running straight at a barrier between platforms nine and ten. I watched her draw nearer and cringed slightly, expecting her to smash into the barrier. Just because that was the first thought that came into my head that didn't mean that's what I really expected to happen! Instead, the barrier seemed to swallow her up.

"Go on, Steph. You're next," Piper said ushering me on. I looked back at her wide-eyed.

"Why do I have to go next?" I asked trying to hide how afraid I'd suddenly become. Who knew if I'd be able to stroll on through the barrier like a pro? What if Alexa had failed to mention some form of spell or incantation she said before nearly smashing into the wall?

"Because I said so," Piper said sarcastically. "Now go before the train leaves without you two."

I stared at the wall in front of me mentally preparing myself. I pushed off the ground with my foot. I started off at a walk and suddenly found myself running towards the wall. I closed my eyes not wanting to see my impending doom in front of me. I pulled back chickening out and opened my eyes to see how close I'd come to the wall. Instead I saw a scarlet steam engine waiting next to a platform packed with people. A sign overhead said 'Hogwarts Express, eleven o'clock'. I moved out-of-the-way so Sage and Piper could come through and saw an iron archway that said _Platform Nine and Three Quarters_'. I watched as Sage came out behind me only seconds later and then Piper. A weathered old man came up to us, took our trunks, and placed them on the train. Alexa was already out of sight, probably greeting her friends. Sage had already taken off with Dot in her carrier and was walking through the train excitedly.

"I'm gonna miss you. All of you," I said turning to Piper.

"I know," Piper said. "I'm gonna miss it just being the four of us." I laughed quietly, thinking to myself of the quality time with my aunts I would miss.

"Your parents would be proud of you," Piper stated.

"I haven't actually done anything yet," I mumbled, looking back around the station and checking to make sure my grip on Jersey's cage was tight. "I just got accepted to a school."

"A magical school that your mother never went to, but father was alumni to. You're not only going to a new school, you're-"

"Accepting my fate and who I really am, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know," I grumbled again. Ever since I even got that letter, that's what everything had been about. 'Accepting myself and my heritage' and what not. A whistle blew behind me causing me to jump slightly. I looked up at a nearby clock and saw it was a few minutes to 11. I hugged Piper quickly, said my goodbyes, and climbed onto the train. I started searching for an empty compartment as another whistle blew. I'm sure I could have asked to join any number of compartments and be welcomed fairly easily. However, I didn't feel like it would be right to barge in on some upperclassmen reuniting with their friends and make the wrong first impression. I was a first year afterall. I wonder if it has the same taboo as being a freshman in high school? I'll have to ask Sammy in a few years.

At last I found an empty compartment around the middle of the train. I let the door slide shut behind me as I threw my traveling bag up above the seats. I unlatched Jersey's door and let him out, placing his carrier above me also. He stretched his body out before circling a spot on the seat a few times and plopping back down to sleep. A final whistle blew as the train lurched forward.

Is this it? Is this what Alexa had the time of her life with last year and what Sage was so excited about? I was sitting in an empty compartment with my sleeping cat as the English country side flew by outside the window. What if I sat here the entire trip alone? I would feel like the biggest loser in the entire world. Maybe everyone here really does know about my secret and what happened to me. I couldn't have been dubbed the 'freak' before I even stepped foot in the school and opened my mouth. Maybe I should jump off the train and run away. I wonder if the train is magicked up so no one can escape?

A faint knock and the sliding of the compartment door snapped me out of my complaining delusion and back to the reality that was on the train. A small boy was standing in the doorway looking at me.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked pointing to the empty seat in front of me.

"Not at all," I said with a small smile.

"Thanks. I'm Harry, by the way. Harry Potter."

"Stephanie Cradey. We met in Gringotts, didn't we? I was with my two sisters and aunt and you were with the giant. Hagrid, I think," I said as I looked at him. I hadn't recognized him at first. He was actually wearing clothes that were almost the right size for him. They were still at least a size too big.

"Right, we did," he said with a faint smile. "Glad to see someone I recognize."

"You have no idea. It's nice to meet you, again," I said while sticking my hand out. He smiled and shook my hand. As soon as our hands touched I felt a shock of electricity shoot up my arm. It wasn't like a static electricity shock but more like a bolt of energy. It shot its way from my fingertips, up my arm, and down my back, spreading warmth as it did. I made a small face trying to hide my confusion. Better not say anything. It's probably just me. I didn't want Harry to dame me as 'freak' a few seconds after meeting me.

"Did you feel that, too?" Harry asked letting go of my hand slowly.

"Yeah. I thought I was just imagining things," I said looking at him. The door to the compartment slid open again and the youngest ginger kid I saw earlier came in.

"Do you two mind? Everywhere else is full?" he asked pointing to the seat across from Harry and I. The two of us shook our heads welcoming him in. "I'm Ron, by the way. Ron Weasley."

"Stephanie Cradey," I replied.

"I'm Harry Potter." Ron's face changed suddenly, becoming very long. His eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly.

"Have you really got the….the," he stuttered, "the scar?" Harry pulled back his black bangs and revealed a lightning shape scar on his forehead above his right eye. "Wicked."

"So that's really where You-Know-Who -?"

"Yes," said Harry, "but I can't remember it."

"Nothing?" said Ron eagerly.

"Well - I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else."

"What the heck are you two talking about?" I asked. When Alexa had explained things to me about this magical world, she told me of a war that had ended just around our birth. I wasn't exactly sure, and neither was Alexa for that matter, how this boy had caused basically the end to it all. When I heard his name at Gringotts, I hadn't thought much of it. There's must be about a million Harry's in the world and probably at least a hundred in the wizarding world.

"You mean you don't- you've never heard," Ron started staring at me like I was stupid.

"I'm not an idiot. I've heard the stories. I'm just not sure what the big deal it," I replied.

"I've never heard the stories," Harry offered.

"Okay, well I guess we can explain." So Ron started telling me how years ago when all our parents were just teenagers a dark wizard was gaining power. Ron was too afraid to say his name, so instead he wrote it down on a piece of parchment, folded it up and handed it to me. _Lord Voldemort_, it read. Ron went on to explain how Voldemort, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named your You-Know-Who as Ron kept calling him, was raising an army of dark wizards to take over the wizarding world. Voldemort believed that wizards and witches were given these powers to rule over muggles (non magical people). He would kill people mercilessly if they didn't join him. One faithful night, Halloween almost ten years ago, Voldemort went to the Potter's house and killed his parents. He tried to kill Harry but failed. Voldemort was supposedly destroyed for good; however, some believe he's still out there and will return.

"Are all your family wizards?" Harry asked after a moment of awkward silence, trying to diffuse some of the attention and focus.

"Er-yes, I think so," Ron said. "I think Mum's got a second cousin who's an accountant, but we never talked about him. I heard you went to live with muggles. What are they like?

"Horrible- well, not all of them. My aunt and uncle and cousin are, though. What's your family like, Steph?" Harry asked turning to me.

"Well…I live with my aunt, too. Well, three aunts. Oh, and my two sisters," I started. The compartment had suddenly become silent except for the sounds of the train rolling down the track. I looked up at them to see them both looking at me curiously. I bit the inside of my cheek and looked back down, hoping they'd get the gist of what I was without asking.

"You mean…your parents…?" he asked.

"I never said any thing about my parents. Let's just drop it, okay?" I said heatedly.

"We could talk about something else if you like?" Harry suggested. He and Ron started talking about their own families and lives up to now, leaving me to my silence. My body had suddenly gone numb and all I could feel was a sinking feeling and an ache in my stomach.

After what seemed like hours of talking, in reality it was only one, I realized the sinking feelings had all dispersed. Except the ache I had felt in my stomach. I felt a rumble in my stomach as I placed my hand on my stomach. I hadn't even thought about food or eating on the train and had no idea how long it would take us to get to Hogwarts. Alexa said they had a feast once everyone was settled in and sorted but like I said, who knew how long that would be. As if almost by magic, there was a great clattering outside in the corridor and a smiling, dimpled woman slid back their door and said, "Anything off the trolley, dears?"

Harry lept to his feet in a split second. Ron's ears went pink and muttered something about bringing sandwiches. I pulled my bag down and looked for the little sack of money Piper had given us before we left. I searched frantically for some money, any kind of money. My stomach was starting to rumble louder and I didn't know when I'd eat again. Maybe I could ask Harry for a few candies to sustain me.

Ron stared at Harry as he brought handfuls of candy and tipped it in an empty seat. My mouth started watering as I looked at all the wonderful things he'd bought; Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Pumpkin Pasties, Cauldron Cakes, Licorice Wands, Acid Pops, and lots more.

"Hungry are you?" Ron asked.

"Starving," Harry said, taking a large bite out of a pumpkin pasty. Ron took out a lumpy package and unwrapped it. There were four sandwiches inside. He pulled one of them apart and said, "She always forgets I don't like corned beef." I scrunched my face at how unappetizing those things looked.

"Swap you for one of these," Harry said holding up a pasty. "Go on, have a pasty. You can have some too if you want." The two of us smiled and started digging in. For once I actually knew what the candies were I was eating. Alexa brought back loads of candy for Christmas holiday.

"What are these?" Harry asked holding up a pack of Chocolate Frogs. "They're not _real _frogs, are they?"

"No," Ron said. "But see what the card is. I'm missing Agrippa." Ron continued.

"What?"

"Oh, of course, you wouldn't know- Chocolate Frogs have cards inside them, you know, to collect- famous witches and wizards. I've got about five hundred, but I haven't got Agrippa or Ptolemy." Harry handed us each one before unwrapping his.

"So _this_ is Dumbledore!" Harry said looking at his card. I peered over his shoulder so I could get a good look at the card, having never seen Dumbledore myself. The card showed a man's face. He wore half-moon glasses, hand a long, crooked nose, and flowing silver hair, beard, and moustache. Below his picture it read:

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Currently Headmaster of Hogwarts_

Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern times, Dumbledore is particularly famous

for his defeat of the Dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses

of dragon's blood, and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel.

Professor Dumbledore enjoys chamber music and tenpin bowling.

I unwrapped my card hoping to add someone new to my small collection Alexa had helped me start. To my dismay I got another Gaius, Merlin's mentor. Ron and I both offered up our cards to Harry so he could start his own collection. There was a small scattering sound coming from Ron's jacket as we tore into some Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

"This is Scabbers by the way," he said pulling a brown shabby rat from his jacket. "Pathetic, isn't he?" Harry and I looked at he each other and nodded in agreement. "Fred gave me a spell as to turn him yellow. Would you like to see?" Harry and I nodded again.

"A yellow rat would be more interesting," I said stuffing a bean in my mouth. Finally a tasty one finally, mint chocolate chip. He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a very battered-looking wand. It was chipped in places and something white was glinting at the end. He cleared this throat and began to raise his wand when the compartment door slid open again. A girly, already dressed in her plain Hogwarts robes, was standing there.

"Have anyone seen a toad? A boy named Neville's lost one," she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth. The three of us looked at each other and shook our heads no. "Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."

She sat down next to Ron who looked taken aback.

"Er – alright," he said clearing his throat.

"_Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow,_

_Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow." _

He waved his wand, but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed brown and homely looking.

"Are you sure that's a real spell? Well, it's not very good, is it?" the girl said "I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. I'm Hermione Granger, by the way. And you three are?"

"Stephanie Cradey," I said.

"Ron Weasley," he muttered.

"I'm Harry. Harry Potter," said Harry.

"Are you really?" Hermione asked. "I know all about you, of course. I got a few extra books for background reading. You're in quite a few of them too."

"I am?" Harry asked dazed.

"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," she continued. You two had better change into your robes. I expect we'll be arriving soon. You can come with me to my compartment and change if you'd like," Hermione said to me. I smiled and agreed starting to get up. I took out my robe and other clothes for my uniform. I followed Hermione out of the compartment saying goodbye to the boys. Before I got too far I picked Jersey up off the seat and cuddled him in my arms, grabbing his carrier as I did.

"This is Jersey, by the way."

"He's adorable," she said petting his tail. "I've always wanted a cat. You said your name was Stephanie, right?" I nodded as we made our way down the train to her compartment. "Do you know what House you'll be in?"

"I honestly have no idea," I replied.

"I've been asking around, and I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds the best by far; I hear Dumbledore himself was in it, but I suppose Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad….or Hufflepuff for that matter. (Hufflepuffs are particularly good finders :D. What the hell is a Hufflepuff? I love AVPM!) I guess there have to be some alright people in Slytherin. I'd rather not share a dorm with any of them though." Hermione said almost all in one breath.

"Ravenclaw would be alright. My older sister's in it," I said as we stepped into Hermione's compartment. I changed quickly inside just the train began slowing down before coming to a stop.

A voice echoed through the train: "We have now reached Hogwarts. Please leave your luggage on the train; it will be taken to the school separately." I looked over at Hermione and found a huge smile on her face. I smiled a bit before putting Jersey back into his carrier. People pushed their way toward the door and out on to a tiny, dark platform. I felt a shiver run through me as we stepped into the cold night air. A lamp came bobbing over the heads of the students and a booming voice: "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!"

A big hairy face beamed over the sea of heads. It took me a second to realize it was Hagrid.

"C'mon, follow me- any more firs' years? Mind yer step, now! Firs' years follow me!"

Slipping and stumbling, Hermione, myself, and the rest of the first years followed the giant down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. Nobody spoke much as we passed through what I perceived to be thick woods.

"Yeh'll get yer firs' sight o' Hogwarts in a sec jus' round this bend."

There was a loud "Ooooooooooh!" The narrow path had opened suddenly onto the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, its windows sparkling in the starry sky, was a vast castle with many turrets and towers.

"No more'n four to a boat!" the giant, whom I came to know as Hagrid, called, pointing to a fleet of little boats sitting in the water by the shore. Hermione and I followed Harry and Ron into a boat. "Everyone in? Right then-FORWARD!"

And the fleet of little boats moved off all at once, gliding across the lake, which was as smooth as glass. Everyone was silent, staring up at the great castle overhead. In just minutes we were leaving our little boats and striding up into the great castle. Hagrid directed us up a flight of stone steps and up to a tall, black-haired witch.


	4. The, Oh So Grand, Sorting Ceremony

"The firs' years, Professor McGonagall," Hagrid said.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here."

She pulled the door wide. The entrance hall was so big you could have fit the whole of Halliwell manor; all three floors, basement, and attic included. The stone walls were lit with flaming torches, the ceiling was too high to make out, and a magnificent marble staircase facing them led to the upper floors.

We followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. To my right I could hear the drone of hundreds of voices behind the door. Hm, the rest of the school must already be here. Professor McGonagall, however, showed us into a small, empty chamber off the hall. We crowded in, standing closer than I usually would to a bunch of kids that I haven't or just met, peering about nervously.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall said sternly. "The start-of-term feast will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house common room.

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Each house has its own noble history and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule breaking, and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup, a great honor. I hope each of you will be a credit to whichever house becomes yours.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place in a few minutes in front of the rest of the school. I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting. I shall return when we are ready for you," said Professor McGonagall. "Please wait quietly."

She left the chamber, the rest of us lot began talking quickly.

"How exactly do they sort us into houses?" Harry asked Ron.

"Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking."

A test? Alexa hadn't mentioned anything about the Sorting Ceremony. it can't be too terrifying, or else she would have warned me about it, right? A test? Alexa hadn't mentioned anything about the Sorting Ceremony. it can't be too terrifying, or else she would have warned me about it, right?

There was a _swoosh _from behind and a cold chill filled the room. Several people behind me screamed, and Harry practically jumped out of his skin.

"What the - ?"

I gasped slightly,along with the people around me. About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. Pearly-white and slightly transparent, they glided across the room talking to one another and hardly glancing at the first years. They seemed to be arguing. What looked like a fat little monk was saying: "Forgive and forget, I say, we ought to give him a second chance-"

"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost - I say, what are you all doing here?"

A ghost wearing a ruff and tights had suddenly noticed the first years.

Nobody answered.

"New students!" said the Fat Friar, smiling around at us. "About to be Sorted, I suppose?"

A few people nodded mutely.

"Hope to see you in Hufflepuff!" said the Friar. "My old house, you know."

"Move along now," said a sharp voice. "The Sorting Ceremony's about to start."

Professor McGonagall had returned. One by one, the ghosts floated away through the opposite wall.

"Now, form a line," Professor McGonagall told us, "and follow me."

I legs felt slightly like lead as I got in line behind a girl with long, pearly blonde hair, Harry behind me. We walked out of the chamber, back across the hall, and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall.

I gasped quite loudly, instantly regretting it for feeling foolish, as we entered the Great Hall. The Hall was lit by thousands and thousands of candles that were floating in midair over four long tables, where the rest of the students were sitting. These tables were laid with glittering golden plates and goblets. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers were sitting. Professor McGonagall led the first years up here, so that we came to a halt in a line facing the Professors, with the rest of the student body behind us. I glanced upward and saw what looked like the night sky. It was a deep navy blue with stars dotted everywhere. If I looked close enough, I thought i could make out a few constellations; the big and little dipper, Aquila, and Capricornus, to name a few. From behind me I heard heard Hermione whisper, "Its bewitched to look like the sky outside. I read about it in Hogwarts, A History."

It was hard to believe there was a ceiling there at all, and that the Great Hall didn't simply open on to the heavens.

I quickly looked back to the front as Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the Hall. On top of the stool she placed a pointed wizard's hat. The hat was patched and frayed and extremely dirty. Two questions were running through my mind.

One, how bloody was that hat? Maybe ole' Olivander had worn it to a hip soirée in his time, whenever that was.

Two, how was this suppose to help us be sorted? Maybe we had to try and get a rabbit out of it. I've seen stand up magicians do that before. Maybe they had learned it at Hogwarts? Although, after seeing only a few things from this school, I'm sure those top hat, tailcoat magicians were frauds. Not even David Blaine could compare.

For a few seconds, there was complete silence. Then the hat twitched. A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth - and the hat began to sing:

"_Oh, you may not think I'm pretty,_

_But don't judge on what you see,_

_I'll eat myself if you can find_

_A smarter hat than me._

_You can keep your bowlers black,_

_Your top hats sleek and tall,_

_For I'm the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_And I can cap them all._

_There's nothing hidden in your head_

_The Sorting Hat can't see,_

_So try me on and I will tell you_

_Where you ought to be._

_You might belong in Gryffindor,_

_Where dwell the brave at heart,_

_Their daring, nerve, and chivalry_

_Set Gryffindors apart;_

_You might belong in Hufflepuff,_

_Where they are just and loyal,_

_Those patient Hufflepuffs are true_

_And unafraid of toil;_

_Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind,_

_Where those of wit and learning,_

_Will always find their kind;_

_Or perhaps in Slytherin_

_You'll make your real friends,_

_Those cunning folk use any means_

_To achieve their ends._

_So put me on! Don't be afraid!_

_And don't get in a flap!_

_You're in safe hands (though I have none)_

_For I'm a Thinking Cap!"_

The whole hall burst into applause as the hat finished its song. It bowed to each of the four tables and then became quite still again.

"So we've just got to try on the hat!" Ron whispered. "I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll."

I let out a quiet sigh of relief. So, no magic involved? Just trying on a dust old hat? I think I could handle that.

Professor McGonagall now stepped forward holding a long roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Abbott, Hannah!"

A pink-faced girl with blonde pigtails stumbled out of line, put on the hat, which fell right down over her eyes, and sat down. A moments pause -

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat.

"Bones, Susan!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!" shouted the hat again, and Susan scuttled off to sit next to Hannah.

"Boot, Terry!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table second from the left clapped this time; several Ravenclaws stood up to shake hands with Terry as he joined them.

"Brocklehurst, Mandy" went to Ravenclaw too, but "Brown, Lavender" became the first new Gryffindor, and the table on the far left exploded with cheers, Ron's twin brothers catcalling as she sat down.

"Bulstrode, Millicent" then became a Slytherin. It may have been my imagination, but it looked like they Slytherin's looked like an unpleasant lot, maybe even a bit nauseated.

"Cradey, Miranda!"

Now there's a name I hadn't heard in years. Sage had hated her first name since she was old enough to know that was her name. It's a beuatiful name, but I guess she didn't think it fit her. For as long as I could remember (which wasn't long, mind you) she had always told people her name was Sage, and if anyone would accidentally or persist on calling her by her first name she would throw a fit.

I looked around the group, and spotted my twin looking from two people next to her, friends she made on the train I'd assume, uncertainly. They nodded, ushering her forward. She looked around slowly as she approached the stool, catching my eye. I waved and smiled to her encouragingly. She returned a nervous wave and faint smile before sitting on the stool, the hat dropping down just above her eyes.

The Hat thought a little before shouting out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

Sage smiled brightly, looking more relaxed, before joining the table on the right as they cheered and clapped, the ghost of the Fat Friar waving merrily at her. I took a breath, knowing what was about to happen next.

"Cradey, Stephanie!"

I took a shaky step forward up the few stairs before stopping in front of Professor McGonagall. She gestured to the seat, holding the hat by the tip with her other hand. I sat down on the and looked out at the entire school, all of which were looking at me. With all the pairs of eyes on me, my heart started racing slightly. Thankfully, the hat slipped onto my head and over my eyes, hiding the rest of the Hall from my view.

"Ah, a third Cradey, I see," a voice in my ear whispered. I jumped slightly at the sudden sound. "You may be more difficult to sort than your sisters. Let's see...yes, every house would be fitting for you, but which is most fitting? I see a bright mind here, oh yes, and a quick and sharp tongue. Yes, yes...I see lots of loyalty to friends and family. Great amounts of courage, a willingness to do anything for your loved ones, no matter the danger to you. What's this I see in your past? Oh my, what a terrible thing to happen to such a young child. And what terrible aftermath. My, my, you have had a hard life these last few years, and yet here you are today. What bravery that takes."

_Wherever I go, I just want to feel happy, safe, and accepted._

"Happiness, eh? Safety and acceptance, too? Well, if that's what you want most, I can see which house will be best..."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

I jumped down from the stool as the whole hall erupted with applause. I looked over the the farthest table to the left, all of whom were clapping the loudest. I happened to find Alexa and Sage, each of them sitting at their own, separate tables. We smiled heepily to each other, ad that none of us shared a house. I sat down across from the Lavender girl, plenty of empty seats near me as the Sorting continued with 'Dreer, Rachel', who was sorted into Slytherin.

"Finch-Fletchley, Justin!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Gallows, Jennifer!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The petite girl came over to our cheering table and sat next to my left. Her long blonde hair was pulled into a side braid, draping over her left side.

"Granger, Hermione!"

Hermione almost ran to the stool and jammed the hat eagerly on her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. The hat took a long time to decide with Neville. When it finally shouted, "GRYFFINDOR," Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter to give it to "MacDougal, Morag."

After 'Leaves, Susanne' was also sorted into Ravenclaw, Sponge Hair Square Face, whose name turned out to be 'Malfoy, Draco', swaggered forward. He got his wish when the hat had barely touched his head and screamed, "SLYTHERIN!"

There weren't many people left now. "Moon"..., "Nott"..., "Parkinson"..., then a pair of twin girls, "Patil" and "Patil"..., then "Perks, Sally-Anne"..., and then, at last -

"Potter, Harry!"

As Harry stepped forward, whispers suddenly broke out like little hissing fires all over the hall.

"Potter, did she say?"

"The Harry Potter?"

He sat down on the stool, the hat dropping down over his face, just like everyone else. It seemed like every student, professor, and ghost in the hall was holding their breath. Which house would be graced with 'Harry Potter's' presence? The hat took maybe a minute before announcing it's decision.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Percy the Prefect got up and shook Harry's hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, "We got Potter! We got Potter!" Harry sat down to my right, a great big smile plastered to his face..

And now there were only a few people left to be sorted after, 'Stetler, Marley ' became a Ravenclaw. 'Thomas, Dean,' an African- American boy, joined Gryffindor table. "Turpin, Lisa," became a Ravenclaw and then it was Ron's turn. He was pale green by now. Ron's brothers, Fred, George, and Percy, held their breaths as the hat thought before shouting, "GRYFFINDOR!"

"All my family's been in Gryffindor," Ron explained a he sat down next to Harry, his brother's cheering loudly for him.

"Well done, Ron, excellent," said Percy Weasley pompously as "Zabini, Blaise," was made a Slytherin, and "Zuirch, Annabel' was lastly made Ravenclaw. Professor McGonagall rolled up her scroll and took the Sorting Hat away.

Professor Dumbledore had gotten to his feet now. He was beaming at the students, his arms opened wide, as if nothing could have pleased him more than to see them all there.

"Welcome," he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!"

He sat back down as everybody clapped and cheered. I wasn't exactly sure what just happened, but clapped none the less with the rest of my peers.

Food suddenly appeared on the dishes in front of us. Roast beef, roast chicken, pork chops and lamb chops, sausages, bacon and steak, boiled potatoes, roast potatoes, fries, Yorkshire pudding, peas, carrots, gravy, ketchup, and, for some strange reason, peppermint humbugs littered the dishes around me. The snacks on the train seemed forever ago, as I took some of everything and piled in on my plate.

A ghost with a strange ruffle around his neck popped up out of the stack of chicken wings Ron was hastily grabbing for. He dropped the drumstick his hand was on suddenly, shocked.

"That does look good," said the ghost sadly once his body, or apparition of it, was out of the food and sitting across from Harry.

"Can't you - ?" Harry started.

"I haven't eaten for nearly five hundred years," said the ghost. "I don't need to, of course, but one does miss it. I don't think I've introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington at your service. Resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower."

"I know who you are!" said Ron suddenly. "My brothers told me about you - you're Nearly Headless Nick!"

"I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy - " the ghost began stiffly, but Hermione with her quizzical mind interrupted.

"Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?"

Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, as if their little chat wasn't going at all the way he wanted.

"Like this," he said irritably. He seized his left ear and pulled. I gasped suddenly as his whole head swung off his neck and fell onto his shoulder as if it was on a hinge. Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done a very good job. Looking pleased at the stunned looks on our faces, Nearly Headless Nick flipped his head back onto his neck, coughed, and said, "So - new Gryffindors! I hope you're going to help us win the house championship this year? Gryffindors have never gone so long without winning. Slytherins have got the cup six years in a row! The Bloody Baron's becoming almost unbearable - he's the Slytherin ghost."

Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, with blank staring eyes, a gaunt face, and robes stained with silver blood.

"How did he get covered in blood?" Seamus asked with great interest.

"I've never asked," said Nearly Headless Nick delicately.

When everyone had eaten as much as they could, the remains of the food faded from the plates, leaving them sparkling clean as before. A moment later the desserts appeared. Blocks of ice cream in every flavor you could think of, apple pies, treacle tarts, chocolate eclairs and jam doughnuts, trifle, strawberries, Jell-O, rice pudding...

At last, the desserts too disappeared, and Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. The hall fell silent.

"Ahem - just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."

Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.

"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch.

"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death. And now, bedtime. Off you trot!"

The Gryffindor first years followed Percy through the chattering crowds, out of the Great Hall, and up the marble staircase. As I started walking I realized how heavy my eyes had become and how lethargic I seemed to be. I wasn't too tired, however, to see the portraits around us moving and talking to one another as we passed. We climbed more staircases, yawning and dragging our feet, when we came to a sudden halt.

A bundle of walking sticks was floating in midair ahead of them, and as Percy took a step toward them they started throwing themselves at him.

"Peeves," Percy whispered to our group. "A poltergeist." He raised his voice, "Peeves - show yourself."

A loud, rude sound, like the air being let out of a balloon, answered.

"Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?"

There was a pop, and a little man with wicked, dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, floating cross-legged in the air, clutching the walking sticks.

"Oooooooh!" he said, with an evil cackle. "Ickle Firsties! What fun!"

He swooped suddenly, causing us all to duck.

"Go away, Peeves, or the Baron'll hear about this, I mean it!" barked Percy.

Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville's head. They heard him zooming away, rattling coats of armor as he passed.

"You want to watch out for Peeves," said Percy, as we set off again. "The Bloody Baron's the only one who can control him, he won't even listen to us prefects. Here we are."

At the very end of the corridor hung a portrait of a very fat woman in a pink silk dress.

"Password?" she said.

"Caput Draconis," said Percy, and the portrait swung forward to reveal a round hole in the wall. They all scrambled through it - Neville needed a leg up - and found themselves in the Gryffindor common room, a cozy, round room full of squashy armchairs.

Percy directed each of us to where our dorms were; girls through one door and the boys through another. At the top of a spiral staircase the first year Gryffindor girls, which ended up including myself, Hermione, Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, Jennifer and Susanne, found our beds at last: six four-poster beds hung with deep red, velvet curtains. Our trunks had already been brought up, and Kovu was perched on the bed I assumed to be mine.

Hermione wanted to get a bright start tomorrow for the first day of class, and rushed to bed at once. The rest of us were just plain tired, and also decided on sleep. I pulled on a pair of pink flannel pajamas, and tucked myself into bed. Once I was settled I picked Jersey up and laid him on my bed. He padded over and laid down beside my head, puring frivolously. Silly cat, I thought. He's been here for only hours, and already he's at home. Hopefully I would be, too.


	5. My Beginning at Hogwarts

A surprisingly cold draft whispered its way through my covers and attacked my bare skin viciously. I frowned to myself and pulled my covers tighter over my shoulders, trying to trap in more heat. I heard a soft but disgruntled _meow_ as I shifted under my covers.

"Oh quit whining, Jersey. Let me readjust and then you can get comfy again," I muttered quietly. Just because my cat was cranky didn't mean I should wake up the rest of the girls. Not a great way to make friends. Or at least make myself likeable.

I shifted in bed again and noticed through my eyelids that a light was on. I opened my eyes partially to see who in their right mind would be awake at whatever hour it was. As I continued to shift Jersey continued to protest.

"Word of advice; if you'd like to keep his claws out of your face I'd stop moving so much, if I were you," a voice from the bed next to me said. I opened my eyes fully and squinted into the dull light to see Hermione sitting up with a book lying open in her lap.

"Thanks," I grumbled unappreciative.

"You're not much of a morning person, are you?" she asked.

"No, not really. I thoroughly enjoy getting my eight plus hours. I'm guessing you are?" I said, my head hitting my pillow again. I was too tired at that point to really care for a response, but tried my best to feign interest.

"Oh, not necessarily. I guess I was just too excited to sleep. I mean with our first day just hours away, how could any one possibly sleep? I've heard so many things about the classes and I'm so excited. I would say I couldn't put into words how excited I was but I just did," Hermione said in a rush, finishing a bit breathlessly. She turned back towards me, I guess expecting me to respond with my own excitement. I don't really know what she did after that, because I had laid my head back on the pillow and was out before she had stopped talking.

The next time I woke up was to an alarm screaming in my ear. I took off the pillow that had somehow ended up on top of my head and rolled over.

"You'd think as wizards they'd have some fancy and sophisticated way of waking us up. No, we get annoying analogue alarm clocks," a voice to my left said. I rolled away from where Hermione's bed was and looked at who the voice belonged to. I hadn't really payed attention last night as to who took beds where.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" she spoke again. As I became more awake I noticed she had vanilla blonde hair that framed her face softly and ended right where her hips curved away from her waist. Her voice seemed to have the consistency of smoke; it was soft and light but could be powerful and damaging if need be. I suddenly remembered her from the sorting. Jennifer, her name was.

"No," I grumbled, rubbing some eye crusties from my eyes. "It was the loud, obnoxious, mortal alarm clock."

"Muggle."

"What?" I paused while crawling out of bed. I wasn't awake enough to function properly.

"It's a muggle contraption. Not mortal. Your thinking is a little too _Hercules_. We need to get you to start thinking 'witch'," she said with a small laugh. "Would you care to go get breakfast with me?"

"Uhm, sure. Let me get dressed," I said still half asleep.

"Well of course. As darling as your...er...cupcake footie pajamas are," she said with a stifled laugh. I looked down at myself, suddenly feeling embarrassed about my choice of pajamas. "I don't think they exactly fit the dress code."

"Don't remind me of the dress code," I groaned. "I mean I'm okay with wearing skirts and looking girly, but not with every other girl in this school every day. It's hard enough looking _exactly_ like another student even without the same clothes."

I looked over at her once I couldn't stand the awkward silence that had ensued and could see confusion displayed all over her face.

"I have an identical twin sister. We look completely alike except for a few minor physical details," I explained.

"Okay. Okay that makes so much more sense. I was incredibly confused last night at the Sorting. I could have sworn I saw you get sorted into Hufflepuff," she continued. "You can understand my confusion when I sat down at the Gryffindor table and, surprise – there you were!"

"Sorry to have caused you so much confusion," I said with a small laugh. "I hope you don't mind but I'm just going to change right here now. Speak now or forever hold your peace."

"No, no, I don't mind. I mean you are wearing underclothes, aren't you?" she asked with a laugh. I nodded my head and giggled. "Okay good. Not to be weird but I'm sure we'll get use to seeing each other half-naked. We will be living in close quarters for seven years."

"Good point," I said shortly, wondering how living here for seven years would turn out.

"Don't you worry about having to wear a uniform. You can wear whatever you want on weekends. And if you can't wait until the weekend you can always jazz it up with some jewelry. You know, earnings, rings, bracelets, a necklace."

"You sure seem to know a lot about accessorizing," I said as I pulled my nifty Gryffindor house sweater on.

"It's not really me. I hear it all the time from my sister. She's only eight years old but she thinks it's the end of the world every time she has to go to school looking exactly the same as everyone else. She claims accessories are her life saver," she said with a fond laugh.

"They are. They saved me at my primary schools."

"You went to more than one school before now?" she asked with a confused tilt of her head. I stared at my tie as I tied it, cursing myself for not thinking before I opened my mouth.

I wasn't going to just tell my whole life story to someone I had only known for five minutes. Sure over seven years I'd open up and tell the friends that I'd hopefully make all about my life, or what I could remember, but not on my first loving day. I should have known mentioning 'more than one school' would be suspicious. Alexa mentioned that some kids don't even attend a muggle school before Hogwarts, their parents just teach the important things like English, grammar, and maths.

I guess I could try to cover up my fumble with a lie; say I moved around a lot, which wasn't entirely a lie. I did move around a lot; but then if I said that the next question to naturally ask would be 'why', and I couldn't think of a full proof lie at this point. I was always a terrible liar no matter what time of day.

"Where's Hermione?" I asked nonchalantly. I figured suddenly changing the subject was generally better than a bad lie.

"Oh I don't know. The library I think. I went to the bathroom earlier this morning and can you believe she was already up nearly dressed and ready to go? She was eager enough to tell me that she had researched how early she could get up for breakfast and get her schedule before her first class so she could hit the library. I hope she wants to be known as an over achiever because she's definitely on the right track," she started, talking more to herself than me at the end.

"Do you not like Hermione?" I asked, rejoicing on the inside that my little diversion had worked.

"Oh, sorry. I'm not being fair. I've only known her for a night. It's just...her first impression didn't really dazzle me. In fact I believe it may have rubbed me the wrong way."

"What about me?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"You seem alright. Quiet, but then again so am I. Not to jump to conclusions or be weird, but I feel like we'll become friends. Or at least friendly to each other. I guess we'll see. So, breakfast?"

I nodded quietly and followed her down to the Great Hall where our sorting last night had been and all our daily meals were. My new friend? I don't think either of us would go as far as calling us friends. So we talked for a few minutes, but that didn't necessarily make us friends. Not that I'd thought that we were, but it was nice and refreshing that she'd talked to me; first. People don't generally talk to me.

_They don't talk to you because you shut yourself away from everyone. Makes it dreadfully hard to meet anybody new._

I snuffed out my subconscious thoughts and took a seat at the great long table specially designated for Gryffindors. Harry waved me over indicating he wanted me to sit by them. So a train ride together probably wasn't enough for Harry and I to be considered friends, but maybe we were on the right path to.

Apparently it had been enough for Ron, as him and Harry were seated next to each other looking quite content. At least this boy with a strange past had found a friend easy enough.

I soon found out that there was a lot more to learn about Hogwarts than just magic and the classes.

There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts: wide, sweeping ones; narrow, rickety ones; some that led somewhere different on a Friday; some with a vanishing step halfway up that you had to remember to jump. Then there were doors that wouldn't open unless you asked politely, or tickled them in exactly the right place, and doors that weren't really doors at all, but solid walls just pretending. It was also very hard to remember where anything was, because it all seemed to move around a lot. The people in the portraits kept going to visit each other, and I was sure the coats of armor could walk...

The ghosts didn't help, either. It was always a shock when one of them glided suddenly through a door you were trying to open. Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, but Peeves the Poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him when you were late for class. He would drop rubbish baskets on your head, pull rugs from under your feet, pelt you with bits of chalk, or sneak up behind you, invisible, and pull your hair. He especially liked pigtails, I soon found out.

Even worse than Peeves, if that was possible, was the caretaker, Argus Filch. Harry and Ron managed to get on the wrong side of him on their very first morning. Filch found them trying to force their way through a door that unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor. He wouldn't believe they were lost, was sure they were trying to break into it on purpose, and was threatening to lock them in the dungeons when they were rescued by Professor Quirrell. All I had to say to that story was: stupid boys. Just like them to get lost and in trouble like that on their first bloody day of classes.

Filch also owned a fluffy, scrawny, dust-colored tabby cat with red, torch like eyes. Mrs. Norris, she was called. She roamed the corridors alone, running off to Filch if she caught you doing anything against the rules. She was Filch's eyes and ears in the school; I wasn't sure if his even worked.

Once you had managed to find them, there were the classes themselves. I learned very quickly that there was a lot more to magic than waving your wand and saying a few choice words. There was that as well, but that had to be executed with near perfection in order not to mess up drastically.

We had to study the night skies through our telescopes every Wednesday at midnight and learn the names of different stars and the movements of the planets. Three times a week we went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology, with a dumpy little witch called Professor Sprout. We shared that class time with the Hufflepuff's, of which Professor Sprout was the head of. As strange as it was, it was a comfort to see the same face and blonde hair I looked at in the mirror every morning sitting in class waiting for me. It was nice to know that I had at least one person in my year who would always be a friend to me. Okay, ninety percent of the time we'd be friendly towards each other.

Easily the most boring class, and very quickly my worst, was History of Magic, which was the only class taught by a ghost. Professor Binns had been dreadfully old when he had fallen asleep in front of the staff room fire and got up next morning to teach, leaving his body behind him. Binns droned on and on while we scribbled down names and dates. I had a hard time remembering things in my past, but it was ten times as hard to remember Emetic the Evil and Uric the Oddball and to not get them mixed up.

Professor Flitwick, the Charms teacher, was a tiny little wizard who had to stand on a pile of books to see over his desk. At the start of our first class he took the roll call, and when he reached Harry's name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight.

Professor McGonagall was again different. Alexa had warned me that she wasn't a teacher to cross. Strict and clever, she gave us a talking-to the moment we sat down for our first class with her.

"Transfiguration is some of the most complex and dangerous magic you will learn at Hogwarts," she said. "Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned."

She then changed her desk into a pig and back again. We were all very impressed and couldn't wait to get started, but soon realized it was going to be a long time before any of us changed the furniture into an animal. After taking a lot of complicated notes, we were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. By the end of the lesson, only Hermione had made any difference to her match; Professor McGonagall showed us how it had gone all silver and pointy and gave her a rare smile.

The class everyone had really been looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Quirrell's lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke. His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, which everyone said was to ward off a vampire he'd met in Romania and was afraid would be coming back to get him one of these days. His turban, he told us, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you for getting rid of a troublesome zombie, but I don't think anybody, myself included, believed this story. For one thing, when Seamus Finnigan eagerly asked to hear how Quirrell had fought off the zombie, Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather; for another, we all noticed that a funny smell hung around the turban, and the Weasley twins insisted that it was stuffed full of garlic as well, so that Quirrell was protected wherever he went.

I was relieved to find out that I wasn't miles behind everyone else. Lots of people had come from Muggle families and, like me, hadn't had any idea that they were witches or wizards. There was so much to learn that even people like Ron didn't have much of a head start.

The first week of classes progressed just like any other first week of classes. Our professors did the whole syllabus spiel; this is what we'll be learning this year, what load of homework we should expect from them (most of which were essays), tests, policies on tardiness. Same as basically every other school I've attended before now; besides the magic only did we settle into routine with our classes, but the new students also settled into routines with each other. Harry and Ron seemed to take a liking to each other quickly. They were nearly inseparable, like how you'd expect two teenage girls to be; not two eleven year old boys. They even got lost and showed up late to Transfiguration on Thursday together, much to our amusement but McGonagall's displeasure.

It was a nice to see people trying to include me in their groups. Granted I had always been the one to shut myself away. Some people at my old muggle schools had caught onto that and just let me be. I didn't make an attempt so neither did they. Sammy had been a different story, but that was all in the past now, anyway.

Jennifer and I usually woke up around the same time and went down to breakfast together. Since all first year Gryffindor's shared the same schedule, the two of us normally sat together, ate all meals together, and hung out during free periods. Most of the time we were also accompanied by Harry and Ron. I felt like most of the time it was Harry deciding to hang out with me. Ron and Jennifer were just sort of tag alongs. Nobody questioned or complained about it, the four of us had a pleasant time eating together. That was just sort of the generic observation I had gotten.

In the back of my mind I questioned why both Jennifer and Harry were so adamant to hang out with me. I knew I shouldn't worry why people liked me, but I was just filled with so much self-doubt. I didn't know why they both found me so interesting, but after a short conversation with Alexa about my worries, I stopped. She counseled me the best she could and told me not to worry about it and to just enjoy myself with these people who clearly wanted to be my friends. She admitted that she didn't even meet her best friend, Margie Rimmer, until nearly November. She assured me that I was on a fast track to making great friends if they were this eager the first week of classes.


End file.
